The Walk Around pt 4
Let's talk about the tail section this week. For those of you who don't know, the tail section is where we get our pitch and yaw (lateral) control from. The large tail fin also gives us lateral stability during flight.
Some of the things we will be looking out for during our pre flight checks!!
As with all parts of the aircarft, we do a check for any dents or signs of damage to the skin. Typically, we look for signs of bird strikes, but there have been incidents in the past of ground vehicles driving into the sides of aircraft. This is most common with catering trucks delivering supplies to the rear service door.
The auxiliary power unit (APU) is a small engine set in the tail that we can run to generate electrical and pneumatic power while the main engines aren't running. The inlet and outlet are checked for any signs of blockage. This can include nesting birds or plugs that are put in if the aircraft is due to spend long periods of time on the ground.
If you look closely in the pictures, you will see small black rods attached to the elevator and ruder. These are known as static wicks. Their purpose is to disipate the static charge that builds up on the surface as the aircraft moves through the air. We will always check to see if any have been damaged or knocked off. While having one missing isn't generally an issue, it is still something we will check for and bring to the attention of the engineers.
The last thing we will check is the underside of the tail. During take-off and landing, if there is too much of a nose up attitude on the aircraft, it is possible to scrape or strike the tail off the runway. A tail skid is fitted to absorb some of the impact if it were to happen, but it is still an undesirable situation and one we want to avoid. In extreme situations, a tail strike could puncture the aircraft skin, causing pressurisation issues in flight. We will always check to make sure the previous flight didn't have one of these events.
That's all for this weeks edition. Check back next time for another edition of the Walk Around.
Wishing everyone a Happy New Year!!